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S. H. EMMEN S. ORDNANGE AND PROJEGTILE FOR THROWING HIGH EXPLOSIVBS.

No. 424,283. Patented Mar. 25, 1890.. I

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NI'I-ED STATES ATENT Fries.

STEPHEN H. EMMENS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ORDNANCE AND PROJECTILE FOR THROWING HIGH EXPLOSIVES SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 424,283, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed February 20, 1889. Serial No. 300,558. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN H. EMMENS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, temporarily residing at Harrison, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ordnance and Projectiles for Throwing High Explosives, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to enable the stocks of existing cast-iron guns to be rapidly and economically converted into efficient breech-loading weapons capable of throwing shells loaded with high explosives; but my invention is also in part applicable to guns of other types. To this extent it is an improvement on the cartridge for ordnance set forth in my United States Patent, No.

398,386, dated February 26, 1889, now in course of issue.

The present invention consists in certain novel combinations of parts, as hereinafter claimed.

Asheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of these drawings represents a side elevation of a converted gun mounted on a carriage, which, together with its accessories, is shown partly in section and forms the subject of a separate invention set forth in my specification forming a part of a companion application for patent, Serial No. 300,931. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal axial section of the gun and carriage.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

The drawings show my system of conver sion as applied to the case of a fifteen-inch Rodman gun. It will be understood that the same is applicable as a whole in substantially the same way to other existing guns and in part to guns of other types, including new ordnance, as hereinafter set forth. In so converting a Rodman gun, for example, the breech end of the gun is suitably bored out to receive a lining-tube L, Fig. 2, preferably of steel, which is tightly screwed into the recess of the breech. This tube is fitted internally with an interrupted screw-socket A to receive and secure in customary manner a main fermeture F. This fermeture extends forward in a slightly-coned form and its walls fit against and are supported by a corresponding surface B within the lining-tube L. In the extended fermeture are formed longitudinal charge-receiving cavities or chambers C, Fig. 2, of which there may be several, which are open at their front end and are preferably cylindrical, and within the inner circle of said chambers 0 there is an axial bore or chamber 0, open at both ends. The rear portion of this chamber is enlarged, coned at its front end, and provided with an interrupted screw at its rear end for the reception of a subsidiary fermeture F. This fermeture F is in turn provided with an axial firing-device chamber F which may be fitted with any suitable axial firing device, such as either of those set forth in my previous specifications forming part of applications serially numbered 288,767 and 299,732.

The projectile P, Fig. 2, is provided with a rearwardl y-projecting stud or stopper S, which fits into the front end of said axial chamber 0 and is suitably chambered to carry a charge of high explosive, together with appropriate percussion and time fuses, either or both.

The periphery of a rim at the rear end of the fermeture F is provided with a segmental worm-rack r, which is meshed by a worm w on a vertical shaft S, that is provided with a hand-crank c and is mounted in bearings b fixedly attached to the face of the breech end of the gun. Provision may thus be readily made for tightening and loosening the main fermeture and charge holder.

The withdrawn main fermeture and chargeholder is preferably supported. successively in the three positions represented by dotted outlines a, b, and c in Fig. 1. The represented devices for handling the main fermeture and charge-holder and for elevating and depressing the gun are set forth, together with other parts of the gun-carriage and its accessories, in the companion specification before referred to, and form no part of this present invention.

The subsidiary fermeture F may be operated, for example, in either of the ways set forth in my previous specification forming part of said application Serial No. 299,7 32.

The operation of the devices above described in loading and firing the gun is as follows:

First, the subsidiary fermetnre F having been withdrawn, the main fermeture F is loosened by turning the hand-crank c and is then withdrawn and lowered to the position represented at b in Fig. 1. Its chambers are then prepared to receive their charges, and the chambers O are loaded with gunpowder or any other suitable propelling explosive.

Secondly, the projectile P is pushed into i the gun so far as to leave the stopper S just I and the subsidiary fermeture F is inserted and tightened. The gun is then ready for firing.

Fourthly, at the outset when the gun is fired the starting-cartridge in the chamber 0 alone explodes, and as this is of small diameter compared with the full caliber of the projectile the shock of discharge and forward impulse are comparatively slight and not calculated to prematurely detonate the charge of high explosive contained in the projectile. Then on the stopper S leaving the chamber 0 the hot gases generated by the startingcartridge cause the secondary charges in the chamber 0, or the first of these remaining sections of the charge, to explode.

To provide for firing the secondary charges successively in the case of smooth-bore guns, where no motion of rotation is given to the projectile, it may, if desired, be furnished with supplementary stoppers shorter than said stopper S to fit the front ends of the chambers C C, or some of them, so as to open them successively, as in the ordnance-cartridge set forth in my specification forming part of said Patent No. 398,386, and the stopper or stoppers may also alternatively be carried by a wad interposed between the propelling-charges and the projectile, as set forth in the specification last referred to, instead of by the proj ectile proper.

With central and supplementary stoppers detached from the projectile the secondary charges may be caused to explode successively instead of simultaneously even when the projectile is fired from a rifled gun. It will be obvious, also, that by suitably arranging the length of the stopper S the air-space in front of the secondary charges may be made greater or less, as desired, and the initial pressure correspondingly reduced or augmented to any desired extent.

If for any reason it should be desired to make the secondary charge chambers C breech-loading, this may be accomplished by extending them through the rear end of the fermeture F, like said chamber C, and providing their rear ends with breech-plugs; but I consider it preferable to dispense with this multiplication of parts; and it will be understood that the lining-tube L may, if desired, be extended (in one or more sections) the entire length of the gun, as is usual in the conversion of old cast-iron guns; also, that the main fermeture and individual features thereof may be utilized in new guns and guns otherwise constructed.

I do not claim herein the combination of main and subsidiary fermetures, as this is claimed in my specification forming part of said application Serial No. 299,732, filed February 13, 1889, nor any of the devices set forth injthe other previous specifications hereinbefore referred to.

Having thus described the said improvement, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification-- 1. In a piece of ordnance, a combined fermeture and charge-holder having an axial starting-charge chamber, in combination with a movable stopper fitted to the front end of said axial chamber and a projectile in front of said stopper and movable therewith, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

2. In a piece of ordnance, a combined fermeture and charge-holder having an axial starting-charge chamber and chambers for secondary charges around the same, in combination with a movable stopper fitted to thefront end of said axial chamber and a projectile in front of said stopper and movable therewith, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

3. In a piece of ordnance, a combined fermeture and charge-holder having an axial starting-charge chamber open at both ends, in combination with a subsidiary fermeture fitted to the rear end of said axial chamber, a mov. able stopper fitted to its front end, and a projectile in front of said stopper and movable therewith, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

4. In a piece of ordnance, a projectile charged with high explosive and having a rearwardly-projecting central stud to form a movable stopper for a starting-charge chamber, in combination with a combined fermeture and charge-holder having an axial chamber to which said stopper is fitted, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

5. In a piece of ordnance, a projectile charged with high explosive and having a rearwardly-projecting central stud of relatively small diameter to form a movable stopper for a starting-charge chamber, in combination with a combined fermeture and chargeholder having an axial chamber to which said stopper is fitted and chambers for secondary charges around the same, substantially as hereinbefore specified.

STEPHEN H. EMMENS. Witnesses:

SAMUEL B. HAMBURG, JAs. L. EWIN. 

